Bourbon Street traffic barriers have disappeared. Where and when will they return?

The three temporary traffic security barricades that were installed on Bienville, St. Peter, and Conti Streets in the French Quarter in February have been removed. The portable flood lights that illuminated Bourbon Street throughout Mardi Gras have also apparently rolled away.

The devices were meant to help make the heart of New Orleans' number one tourist destination a safer place. The barriers and lights came into play during the recent NBA All-Star game and Carnival, when tourist crowds were at their thickest.

The temporary barricades and temporary lights were an experimental vanguard of the proposed citywide $40 million safety program announced in January by Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Gov. John Bel Edwards.

The barricades, which cost between $30,000 and $50,000 each, were meant to prevent a deliberate or accidental collision between a vehicle and densely packed pedestrians on Bourbon Street. In July 2016 a terrorist used a truck as a weapon to plow into a Bastille Day crowd in Nice, France, killing 86 and injuring hundreds more. A few months later a copycat killed 12 shoppers in a Berlin Christmas market.

It remains to be seen when or where the barricades and flood lights might be deployed in the future. The Mayor's office did not immediately respond to email questions about the removal and future use of the devices.

A set of what appear to be security cameras have been affixed at the corners of several Bourbon Street intersections. The flying saucer-shaped devices are marked with NOPD insignia and appear new.

Most of the employees of Bourbon Street clubs adjacent to the devices that we spoke to recalled that the cameras appeared roughly in conjunction with Mardi Gras (Feb. 28), though no one seemed to be sure of an exact date. The city has not yet announced the arrival of Bourbon Street security cameras, but they were listed as an important feature of the security plan.

A public meeting to discuss the city's security plan, presented by the Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents and Associates group and the French Quarter Citizens organization takes place at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Jude Community Center, 400 N. Rampart St., Monday (March 13).

Note: This story was updated at 5:15 p.m. after a second visit to Bourbon Street.